News Briefs | School Bars Female Ref from Boys Game

Kansas activities officials are investigating a religious school's refusal to let a female referee call a boys' high school basketball game.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association said referees reported that Michelle Campbell was preparing to officiate at St. Mary's Academy near Topeka on Feb. 2 when a school official insisted that Campbell could not call the game.

The reason given, according to the referees: Campbell, as a woman, could not be put in a position of authority over boys because of the academy's beliefs.

Campbell then walked off the court along with Darin Putthoff, the referee who was to work the game with her.

"I said, 'If Michelle has to leave, then I'm leaving with her,"' Putthoff said Wednesday. "I was disappointed that it happened to Michelle. I've never heard of anything like that."

The Activities Association said it is considering whether to take action against the private religious school. St. Mary's Academy, about 25 miles northwest of Topeka, is owned and operated by the Society of St. Pius X, which follows older Roman Catholic laws. Gary Musselman, the association's executive director, said the organization will not make a decision until it confirms whether St. Mary's Academy has a policy of not allowing female referees to work boys basketball games.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Panel Proposes Penalizing Horse-Collars

INDIANAPOLIS

Horse-collar tackles, already banned by the NFL, may be outlawed in college football, too.

That rule change is among those proposed by the NCAA Football Rules Committee. Other suggestions include making chop-block enforcement less complicated and ignoring incidental facemask contact.

The proposals put forth by the committee during meetings this week now go to the NCAA membership for comment. They must be reviewed and approved by an oversight panel before they can go into effect.

The proposed horse-collar rule would be similar to the NFL's, penalizing a tackle in which a runner is pulled down from the inside collar of the shoulder pads or jersey. The often-complex rules on chop blocks, or tackling at or below the knees, would be clarified for players and officials, said Redding, who will become rules committee secretary-editor next month.

THE NFL

Ex-Seahawks Assistant to Redskins

ASHBURN, Va.

Stump Mitchell followed Jim Zorn to the Washington Redskins on Wednesday, joining the team as running backs coach.

Mitchell, the Seattle Seahawks running back coach since 1999, will also have the title of assistant head coach with the Redskins. He and Zorn worked together on the Seahawks staff from 2001 through last season. Mitchell played nine NFL seasons in the 1980s. He was the coach at Morgan State from 1996-98 before joining the Seahawks.

ALSO: Running back Justin Fargas agreed to a new contact with the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday instead of testing the market as a free agent. Fargas finished the season with 1,009 yards on 222 rushes for an average of 4.5 yards per carry. He also ran for four touchdowns.

Miscellaneous

Olympics: The New Zealand Olympic Committee denied attempting to prevent athletes from commenting on political issues at the Beijing Games. A leading Green Party politician said a NZOC contract, which must be signed by all New Zealand athletes participating in the Olympics, included a clause which prevents athletes from making any statements about the Chinese political regime. The New Zealand Olympic Committee denied the claims, saying the athletes' contract was eight years old and did not contain a so-called "gagging" clause.

GYMNASTICS: The men who finished second, third and fourth at last year's world championships will join Olympic champion Paul Hamm on March 1 for the America's Cup at Madison Square Garden. World silver medalist Fabian Hambuechen; bronze medalist Hisashi Mizutori; and fellow American Jonathan Horton are all part of the field announced Wednesday.

FIGURE SKATING: In a battle of three of the world's best skaters, Daisuke Takahashi took the early lead. The reigning world silver medalist edged two-time U.S. champion Evan Lysacek and Olympic bronze medalist Jeffrey Buttle to win the men's short program Wednesday at the Four Continents championships.